BEREA, Ohio—Brandon Weeden’s concussion opens up a can of worms. The rookie quarterback has done some things well and is playing about the way one would expect from a No. 22 overall pick thrust into a starting job with a suspect receiving corps.

On the other hand, there had been hope he would circumvent some of the usual rookie trials because of his age (29) and maturity. Instead, his inability to generate a consistently effective passing game has been one of the reasons the team is 3-8, and it was one of the reasons the Browns struggled to beat Pittsburgh on Sunday even though the defense generated an eight turnovers.

If Weeden is ruled out of Sunday's game at Oakland, and replacement Colt McCoy looks good leading the team to a victory, the second-guessing will begin.

Weeden was handed the job in August and kept it despite struggling through the preseason. McCoy played very well through most of the preseason, albeit playing with and against backups.

McCoy wasn’t the only observer who was convinced he could do a better job than a rookie if given the reins in the regular season. He had made 21 NFL starts and, while stuck with a 5-16 record, McCoy was eager to prove he could make a jump with improvements to this year’s team.

If Weeden is cleared to play, he will. If not, McCoy will be starting at Oakland, where he had a fitful day last year, completing only 21 of 45 passes in a 24-17 loss.

This time, he would have a chance to prove he has grown, with a new running back (Trent Richardson), a new No. 1 wideout (Josh Gordon) and a more polished offensive line at his disposal.

McCoy needs to make his strong intangibles, mobility and ability to complete short and intermediate passes work if he wants to revive his career.

The guess is Weeden is still the quarterback of the future, but he has struggled enough to cloud the picture.